The indigo dyeing craftsman I introduced in the article the other day is a young female dyeing craftsman named Yukari Saka.
He is a craftsman who went to Tokushima alone and trained hard at a dyeing place.
He now has his own dyeing workshop in Takao, and I visited the workshop the other day.
I am still learning about indigo dyeing, but I would like to tell you little by little.
Today we will talk about the indigo pot and its contents.
Indigo pot.
It's pretty big, about 200 liters of tubs.
In this, the indigo dyeing solution is made.
It is said to "build indigo".
Being a natural indigo, it is truly a living thing.
It's the temperature, and it's exactly ′′ growing ′′ by mixing and adding air.
This indigo dyeing liquid is first of all, what is it made of?
The question.
It is a plant called indigo, and it is vaguely understood that it is fermented,
I don't think the image will come to mind.
The main part of this dyeing liquid is called "sukumo".
It is made by fermenting and aging indigo leaves.
First, this is dried indigo. It's hard to see.
This is fermented and aged to evolve into a dye.
Evolves from Ai to Sukumo.
This sukumo is mixed with lye and bran (wheat) to make the dye solution.
As you can see from the ingredients, there are absolutely no chemicals in it.
Also, as natural indigo is alive, the relationship with this dyeing solution is truly a “dialogue”.
They judge the condition by looking at it with their eyes, smelling it, and sometimes licking it to taste it (!).
At the point where the craftsman himself is licked, I feel that it is a manufacturing that is really close to nature, without waste and cheating.
And when I see these "dialogues" on site, it sounds like a cliché, but I feel the respect and affection of the craftsmen for indigo.
For example, when I was talking to a woodworking craftsman, he treats the material as a living creature and faces it head-on with respect.
It takes a long time and invisible effort and technology before one thing is made.
In particular, it is not an exaggeration to think that natural materials such as indigo, cotton, wood, and hemp are born and raised, dried, fermented, and twisted so that they can be used as tools.
Nowadays, we are in an era where people want things that are cheap and affordable at "fast" speed, but I think that this kind of work and way of dealing with things is also wonderful.
Today was an introduction about indigo kettle and indigo dyeing liquid.
Follow the order and introduce the continuation again!
A limited number of tie-dyed handkerchiefs dyed with genuine indigo by Ms. Yukari Saka are now on sale.
Pint! Indigo Dyed Organic Linen Handkerchief Hotaru